Shopping for Cellular Components
Standardization of synthetic biology leads to further industry dependability.
Synthetic biology allows for engineering of new genetic sequences that can be placed into a huge variety of cellular chassis. Therefore, this relatively new science is perhaps the most widely applicable of its peers in and out of the lab today. Not only does this customization allow scientists to apply synthetic biology to a wide variety of fields, but the fairly recent push for standardization of parts ensures that the outputs from synthetic organisms are reliable across the field. At its core, synthetic biology is a marriage between the biological sciences and engineering logic, using circuits to pump out biological and chemical products through complex cellular processes.
The marriage between engineering logic has benefited synthetic biology and gave birth to a database of previously used genetic “parts”. Much like an engineer can walk into an electronics store to purchase the parts to construct a circuit, synthetic biologists can log onto a few databases and search for parts that serve the functions they are looking for. These databases combine the visual cues used to assemble physical circuitry with the different components of a successful DNA sequence. While an engineer may utilize something like a battery or a switch a synthetic biologist will place a promoter or an origin of replication. These tool are not entirely analogous to the tools of an engineer, but the categorization and standardization of a synthetic biologist’s tool contributes to a safer overall use of the parts.
The “stores” for such parts include the Registry of Standard Biological Partsoperated by the BioBricks Foundation. The Registry is run by the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Foundation which is an organization with three focuses: an international synthetic engineering competition for students, a program for supplying parts to academic labs, and the Registry. The iGEM Registry has more than 20,000 documented parts organized by “part type, chassis, function, and more”. The BioBricks Foundation is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to ensuring “that the engineering of biology is conducted in an open and ethical manner to benefit all people and the planet” that, in addition to its iGEM work, offers openwetware for lab work and several global synthetic biology conferences and workshops. This standardization of synthetic biology for global labs is important because it allows greater confidence in the success and efficacy of the products.
This greater trust in the output of synthetically engineered organisms means greater opportunities for applications outside of the lab. Synthetically engineered organisms can be beneficial for the environment in many ways, including the ability to source chemicals in a greener way.
As discussed in the previous week’s blog, Amyris is a California based company that specializes in using synthetic biology to create microbial tools to solve various complex problems through simple engineering. Amyris technologies range from food ingredients and flavors, to polymers, pharmaceuticals, and solvents. One such example is the new Biossanceskincare line, this line uses synthetically derived squalane. Squalane, a common moisturizing ingredient in skincare, is most commonly derived from shark livers. Shark hunting is detrimental to the ocean’s ecosystem because, as an apex predator, their role in maintaining population balance is vital. Currently, shark hunting has been made illegal in 14 countries and many other countries have strict regulations surrounding shark fishing, specifically finning. Therefore, the creation of artificial squalane by Amyris allows for distribution into the larger market of a cheaper and more readily available form of the substance, with a much lower environmental impact.
As explained by Peter DeNardo, the Director of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications for Amyris, Amyris has a “No Compromise commitment, our products are design them to perform comparably or better than currently available products”. This commitment means that the products designed and marketed by Amyris will be of comparable, if not better, quality and better in their environmental impact. This commitment, though owned by Amyris, is reflective of the larger spirit in which synthetic biology is applied to prescient environmental issues. By striving to do better than the status quo, and even innovating beyond current understandings of industry, medicine, and science, synthetic biology holds the key to solving environmental issues from a variety of facets.
